1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of photography, and particularly to a compact camera with a built-in pop-up electronic flash unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A current trend in camera design is to incorporate an electronic flash unit in the camera housing and yet make such housing relatively small in size in order to increase its ease of storage, portability, and handling. As a consequence of making a camera housing small in size and include a built-in flash unit, the separation between the taking lens and the flash unit is reduced, thereby possibly creating an undesired effect commonly known as "red-eye". When using a flash unit and color print film, red-eye is typified by the pupils in the eyes of a person being photographed coming out red-tinted on the resulting color print. Such phenomenon is attributable to the incidence into the taking lens of the red light reflected from the retinas in the person's eyes illuminated by the flash light.
Red-eye as is known may be substantially avoided by increasing the separation between the flash unit and the taking lens. As a result, light from the flash unit will reach the eyes of a person being photographed at two great an angle to be reflected by his retinas into the taking lens. Thus, in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,571, issued Dec. 10, 1985, red-eye appears to be substantially avoided by providing a compact camera with an electronic flash unit that is pivotable with respect to the camera housing between a folded storage position in which it forms an integrated part of the camera housing in front of the taking lens and an operative erect position in which it is sufficiently removed from the lens to permit picture-taking substantially without the occurrence of red-eye. However, some degree of compactness is sacrificed. Other compact cameras, such as disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,064, issued May 26, 1987, include a pop-up electronic flash unit supported for movement between a storage position partly within the camera housing and a flash-emitting position elevated above the camera housing. Here again, some degree of compactness is sacrificed.